I'll do you one better
by NukalurkCakes
Summary: After receiving the last letter from Burke, the Lone Wanderer sets off into the wastes in search of Tenpenny tower to reunite with him. What does fate have in store for their love and their lives? Rated M for a reason. (Mr. Burke, F!LW, complete)
1. Letters

Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout 3 nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in this story.

I got this idea when I was playing the game and remembering how mad I was when I got the 4th letter. I just remember thinking it was such a big waste of time to look forward to letters and I actually went to Tenpenny tower to see if he was there and he wasn't! I was so mad that I had to write a short story about it so here it is! I never actually describe what the female looks like so I leave that up to you to fill in with your own imagination!

Feel free to leave a review cos' I can't judge my own writing!

* * *

 _'I wish that I could have you, and the thought of another man getting to have you, breaks my heart. But I'd rather you were set free, than waiting eternally for me...Good luck my love-bird. Fly free and be happy! Your's truly,_

 _Burke'_

She read it one more time, fresh tears coming from her eyes. She crumpled the worn piece of paper to her chest as a fresh set of sobs consumed her. The jukebox in her house continued to play the same sad song over and over and she couldn't help but feel the song was specifically for her as she cried herself to sleep for the 4th time this week.

Most of her days were spent thinking of him and reading the other letters he had sent her. She thought back to the first time she encountered him.

She only spoke to him to tell him to stop motioning to her to come over and talk to him because it was giving her the creeps. She nearly spit the beer at him when he asked her to commit the unthinkable and blow Megaton to bits. She had established a home by then and had already disarmed the bomb so she didn't know what to say to him. She ended up just leaving him waiting for an answer as she left the bar.

That night she couldn't stop thinking of the possibility of him finding a way to re-activate it and blowing the place up himself so she made the decision to go talk to him and tell him the bomb was disarmed and that he should leave Megaton alone. She felt weird going to his house empty handed so she went to her fridge and grabbed a full bottle of wine she would give to him as a gift and a reason to let her inside.

She threw on a tank top and her favorite sweats and left her house locking it up as she made her way down the steep stairs to Burke's home. She was nervous and didn't know what she was doing and the bottle of wine shook in her hands making small sloshing sounds.

She stood in front of his door and turned around to look at the reason she was there to begin with giving it a glare. If that bomb hadn't been here she wouldn't be in this situation. She turned back around and lightly tapped on the door. She waited for a couple minutes before knocking a bit harder.

She was about to leave when the door swung open to a very tired and angry looking Burke glaring at her.

"What could someone possibly want at this hou...Oh." His face softened as he realized it was her. "Forgive my rudeness." He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh no, no it's my fault for coming so late..I, uh..just wanted to talk..and..this is for you." She said quickly shoving the bottle at Burke who eyed it curiously.

He didn't look like he did in Moriarty's bar when she first met him. His normal striped suit was replaced with a form fitting white shirt and boxers and his glasses were no where to be seen. She had to admit he was a handsome man but what he wanted her to do was terrible and she didn't feel bad for waking him up so late.

"I hope this is about my proposition." He said grabbing the wine. "Please, come in and take a seat." He turned around leaving the door open and making his way over to the kitchen counter.

The place was smaller than hers and that was saying something, at least her place was two stories. She sat down at his table and fidgeted with her thumbs watching him. He pulled a bottle opener from one of the drawers in the kitchen and began working the cork off the wine. It came off with a light popping noise and he grabbed the two glasses that lay on the counter pouring some into the both of them.

He handed her a glass as he took a seat across from her and she took it taking a drink. It was bitter and she couldn't tell if she hated it or liked it so she took another sip. There was no alcohol in Vault 101 so the whole thing was completely new to her.

"It's really not that big of a deal." He said taking a sip of his own glass. "This place is an eye sore and the lives lost won't count for nothing I assure you."

She was getting more nervous as he continued to talk knowing he won't be happy at the news. She drank the rest of her wine and set it on the table not looking into Burke's eyes.

He poured her another glass smirking a little bit. Maybe if he got her a little drunk she would give in and just do the blasted thing so he could get out of this vile place.

She began to drink despite the slight fuzzy feeling she felt rising in her stomach.

"I don't know Burke. The whole thing is very...drastic."

"I can pay you if that's what you wish." He finished his drink and set the cup aside but poured more into her glass.

The nervousness she felt quickly dissipated and she was beginning to jumble her thoughts together as she drank more.

"In caps?" She said looking into her empty cup.

He leaned over the table putting one finger on the corner of her cup pulling it towards him with her hand still on it and poured more wine not hiding the smile that spread across his face. "With _a lot_ of caps." He sat back into his chair. Maybe this is going to be easier than he though.

"Well.." She began. "I could always use the caps.." She said slurring her words slightly and finishing off her glass. She looked over at Burke and let her eyes wonder as she checked him out again. She could see every part of his body through the thin fabric of his shirt and she was getting a different fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I have a "Proposition" of my own. Would you like to hear it, Mr. Burke?" She smiled feeling confidence make her way through her body as the alcohol coursed through her veins.

His demeanor changed as he sat straight in his chair looking her over. "Color me intrigued. Go on..." He said as his eyes raked over her body just as hers did his.

"You see. I live here lover, and surely you wouldn't want to hurt me..." She was surprised, if not more than Burke at the words that came out of her mouth.

"Well...I...I mean... Of course not... I must admit, I've never met a woman quite like you before. This changes everything..." He said as he leaned over putting his elbows on his knees and crossing his fingers looking as if he was thinking about something.

She got up from her seat and made her way over to him placing her hands on his shoulder and leaning him back into his chair. She got on top of him straddling him as she looked into eyes waiting for him to do something. He cautiously placed his hand on her lower back and began to speak.

"My, my...how beautiful you truly are." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I would love nothing more than to ravish you right here and now but I'm afraid we can not just yet. Our first contact should be in a place less...dirty. I'm sorry."

He helped her off him and made his way to the door opening it and gently motioning for her to leave. She was dumbfounded as she walked outside his door turning around to look at him not knowing what to say.

"You wait here my dear. I have some important business to attend to. But you won't be waiting long. I shall send for you soon." He grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on it before shutting his door.

She walked her way up to her home wobbling and bumping into anything she was close to. She was too drunk to be hurt by his actions, it's not like rejected her or anything. He was just asking her to be patient. She collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

She woke up with a piercing head ache and she groaned as she tried to remember everything that happened last night. She remembered what Burke had said and felt her face flush pink as she remembered what _she_ had said.

She took a shower and when she was finished, made her way down to Burke's home to apologize for the way she acted last night but no one answered when she knocked. Lucas Simms saw her there and hollered for her to come over and talk to him. He told her that Burke had left early this morning and she instantly became angry.

She stomped her way back to her home and sat on her bed crossing her arms. Who does this guy think he is telling her to just wait here? She had a father to find! There's no way she could wait here.

She thought about what happened last night a bit more. She was very very drunk so he must have been the same right? He was drinking wine too, maybe he said it in a fit of the moment and he left because he was too embarrassed to confront her? It wasn't impossible she felt like digging a hole and hiding from him in her own embarrassment.

Whether she believed it or not she decided she wouldn't think about him any further. He was sketchy anyway and she didn't want this to be her first out-of-the-vault experience so she brushed him off and got ready for her first day out in the wastes.

A couple weeks after that incident she got the first letter and the second came a month later. By the time the third letter came she couldn't lie about her feelings any longer. The way he made an effort to write to her and the sweet things he said made her fall in love even though he wasn't there.

The third letter was hard to read as the longing for him grew harder and harder each day. He had told her the pain of their separation was unbearable for him and that he cherished the brief moment they had together. That was the first time she cried over him as she clung the letter to her chest and crumbled to the floor.

Thinking about it made her cry even more at the thought of not receiving any more from him. She got up from her bed and walked to the cabinet she kept all her precious items. Inside had her dad's bobble head figurine wrapped in her old Vault 101 jumpsuit along with the last holotape he made her. Underneath all of it were the letters Burke had sent her neatly tucked inside one envelope.

She pulled them out and made her way back to her bed reading the first one out loud as she clung to her chest.

 _'Have patience my love. Soon._

 _Soon we shall be together once again!'_

"You liar." She said as she placed the letter back in the envelope and picked up the second one reading it. He said the work he was doing was to better shape mankind and that eased her wondering thoughts because people had told her he was a very bad man. Placing that one back she picked up the third one.

 _'Send me a letter, won't you? Send it to Tenpenny Tower._

 _They'll be sure to get it to me.'_

"Tenpenny tower.." She said looking up from the letter at the wall thinking if she'd come across a place like that in the wastes. "I wonder if he's still there.." She said as she placed the third letter back in the envelope along with the newest edition. She couldn't bring herself to read the fourth letter again. It was just too sad to hear him tell her they have to 'cease this charade' as he put it.

She flipped open her pipboy and flipped to the Map she had. She had been scouring the wastes looking for her dad and helping anyone she came across so she had quite a few places mapped out. She looked over each place looking for Tenpenny tower. Having no luck she shut it off and got up from her bed putting on her armor and holstering her laser pistol to her side as she left her home.


	2. The wastes aren't so big

It had hurt him to write the last letter.

Right when he was about to finish one letter, he would picture her beautiful face with tears and instantly crumple it up and start writing a new sweet one telling her of his endless love for her. When he was about to finish that one, he pictured her standing in his abandoned dwelling in Megaton, wrinkled skin and hunched back waiting for him knowing he was never going to come and he would crumple it and start again. This went on for hours, heart battling mind and although he would never admit to it, when he sealed the final letter a tear found it's way to his cheek.

The work he did was taking it's toll on him. It was taking over every fiber of his being and he knew he could never bring her into his world. Although his heart yearned for her smile, his mind could think solely of his job and how long it would take him to finish.

There were many times when he would take his belongings and take the elevator down, ready to find her and hide away with her for the rest of his life, but he could never bring himself to actually step foot outside. His job kept him on a leash, tied to Tenpenny who would tug and pull him back up and into his room shutting the door swiftly behind him so no one could see him fall to his knees and force back tears.

How could it be that this silly little girl from a Vault could have such an effect on him? He would think that over and over again until his mind wondered to the first kiss they shared and he would chastise himself for not going with his heart. She wasn't _just_ some girl, it was _her_ he longed for to be in his arms and on hips lips once again.

At night he would switch on his radio and listen to what Three Dog had to say about her. She dawned the name The Lone Wanderer and he found solace in hearing that. Knowing she wasn't with another man if she was 'Lone' brought happiness but also pain in his heart. If she was hurt, no one would be there to help her and the radio would speak nothing more of her tragic death when it came.

He had hired some men to go find her and follow her but only one came back with wild stories of how he barely managed to escape the Death Claw that killed everyone else. Burke was annoyed that he didn't continue his search for his woman but he couldn't blame the guy. He didn't escape unscathed and the short little stump of his arm proved it. He decided he couldn't waste anymore men and painfully put trust in the fact she could handle herself in the wastes if she'd done it this far.

A week passed after sending the letter off with a Merchant heading to Megaton and he knew she should have gotten it. His heart tugged but he grabbed his gear and follow the men out the door into the wastes for another one of his 'assignments'.

* * *

Traveling to the Minefield went without a hitch. Barely a Bloatfly, Molerat, or Raider in sight as she slowly walked up the road, eyes searching the ground before spotting the 'hot potato' as Moira put it, next to a broken down bus stop. She crawled her way to the mine and upon hearing the beeps and seeing the flashing red light she quickly set her hands around it searching for the little switch on the back, pulling it securely to the left and disarming the thing. She let out the breath she was holding and looked up towards the setting sun, eyes squinting through its bright rays.

"Shit." She said before standing up and looking around the town.

Directly to her left was a house that looked in tact for the most part despite the slanted roof and caved in walls. She walked over to it, careful not to step onto any hidden mines and swiftly pulled a bobby pin out of her back pocket to unlock the door. Once she was inside she cupped her hand to her nose as the stench of rotting flesh filled her sinuses. She looked down to what looked like a dead raider hunched over and leaning on the back of the couch. His leg was blown clean off and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened to him. He probably crawled in here so he wouldn't be fed on by any passing animals or worse yet, another raider.

She searched his pockets only to find a broken combat knife and a used condom which she tossed in the corner gagging at the thought of touching the slimy thing. Wiping her hands on the top of the dusty old couch she made her way up the stairs to find an empty child's room and another room with three skeletons laid flat on the bed. One a lot smaller than the others.

She couldn't bring herself to move the skeletons even knowing they were long gone from this world. She pulled the blanket out from under them and placed it gently over their bodies. She pulled out her knife and carved 'In Loving Memory' on the bed post and closed the door as she left.

She let her bag slither off her back and fall to the floor. She unclipped her weapon holster from her hip and gently laid it on top of her bag as she made her way out of her armor. She was now just in her tank top and panties as she slid into the small bed and quickly drifted off to sleep thinking of the one man she wanted to be close to.

* * *

The journey to the Republican of Dave was long and hard on Burke but upon seeing it he perked up and got ready for the job him and his men had to do. Burke used to love his job. Ridding the waste of all its filth to make room for the bigger and better buildings Tenpenny had planned to start building but lately he felt differently about everything. It wasn't just because he wanted to drop everything to be with the one he loved albeit that was a very big factor but it was because Tenpenny stopped caring about the living.

When he was first hired by Tenpenny as his right hand man the jobs consisted of forcing the people out of their homes before destroying everything. At least that way they had a _chance_ to start a new life but now Tenpenny wanted to destroy everything including the people. He worded it as _'Corrupt people live in corrupt places. It all needs to go'_ which brought Burke to Megaton with the job of blowing it up including the lives. It left him with the reputation of a murderer and an evil man he hoped never made it's way to his loves ears. The thought of her thinking he _wanted_ to kill innocent lives made him shudder in disgust.

His newest job was to destroy the Republican of Dave along with its inhabitants and if Burke wanted to continue his work he had to comply. He was met by a young kid at the gate who brought them to speak with Dave. The thought of having an entire town dedicated to one man enough to have a museum didn't sit right with Burke even if the people could vote for anyone as long as they were a resident.

"How do you want to do this, Mr. Burke?" One of the men asked as they made their way into the heart of the town.

Burke's eyes couldn't help but follow the kids running around and his heart felt heavy at the thought of killing innocent children.

"Mr. Burke." Another man started. "There are kids here." He ended with a slight sadness in his voice.

"That doesn't matter idiot! We have orders." Another piped in.

"It doesn't sit right with me killing a child!" The second spit back. "They didn't do anything wrong."

"Tenpenny said.."

"Who gives a fuck what Tenpenny said? This place is so far East Tenpenny wouldn't even know if it was destroyed or not."

Their bickering was giving Burke a headache before he turned to them and spoke.

"Tenpenny has men everywhere in the wastes. If we don't do this he would know. He knew the place was here didn't he?" He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Mr. Burke. They are _just_ kids." The other two had backed off as the one continued to speak.

"I'm very aware of that." Burke said sighing and turning back around. "But order are orders."

With a motion of his fingers the men began to burn the place down with their flamers.

* * *

She had just about gathered every mine she could find and her bag sank deep into her shoulders. There were some mines she wasn't able to stop and they blew up sending her flying back with crippled bones and deep gashes which she quickly healed with stimpacks and bloodpacks. The sniper at the top of the building to her left had her pinned behind some rubble as he shot screaming gibberish at her.

The screaming had stopped for a moment and she braved a look to find him running down the stairs. With quick movements she ran to the entrance ripping a mine from her bag and activating it setting it at the door and quickly running back to where her hiding spot was.

She waited patiently before hearing the beeps and screams of the man followed by the loud explosion. Bingo.

She ran over to him and pulled her laser pistol from her holster and pointed it at his shaking body beneath her. She would've felt bad if he wasn't just trying to kill her a second ago. He didn't say anything and neither did she, they just looked at each other for a moment before he slowly rested his head back onto the ground and let his last breath go.

She brought the gun back to her hip and closed her eyes letting her own head fall back as her heart felt heavy for the man who was probably just protecting his town.

She looted what she could and made her way back to Megaton to deliver the news to Moira for the Wasteland Survival guide they were writing together. She liked the idea of helping the wastes even if it was just slightly. She thought of what Burke had said in his letters. _'It is very important work I am doing for mankind_ ' he had said. She felt the corners of her lips lift slightly.

"Me too, my love." She said quietly as she continued walking.

* * *

On the way back to Tenpenny Tower the air around them felt heavy. The three men walked ahead of Burke who followed closely behind thinking back to the lives lost back at the probably now, pile of dust that used to be the Republican of Dave.

Burke was broken out of his thinking when one of the men slowed down and spoke to him.

"The kids will be alright." He whispered smiling a little at Burke. "We did the right thing, you know."

"Yes. I'm quite sure they will make it to Little Lamplight." Burke paused. "But I do hope a word of this is not spoken to the other two." He looked at the soldiers in front of them. "If Tenpenny hears a word of what we did, he will not be so forgiving to you as he would me."

"Don't worry Mr. Burke. I have no desire to speak with the two of them." The soldier then walked ahead and joined his team.

Yes, in a spur of the moment as people ran about screaming, Burke grabbed the one soldiers arm and began picking up screaming kids and dragging them over to the Brahmin pin hiding from the other two soldiers as they spewed fire over every nook and cranny of the Museum. He told them to hide here until the fire had died down, then to make their way west, he pointed in the direction, and find Little Lamplight because they would be safe there. Tousling a boys hair he continued to keep the flames away from them as much as he could. They were ordered to burn the town and kill it's residents, not the animals so hiding them there was the best chance they had.

He couldn't save the rest of the town though as they burned along with their home. Lives were lost and it weighed down on him every step he took but knowing the kids had a real chance at survival lifted his spirit just a little.

The men stopped and he nearly ran into one of them.

"Why the hell are we stopping?" Burke asked annoyed.

One of the men pulled out a set of binoculars and placed them to his face looking at whatever made them stop.

"I think I see someone over there." He said handing the binoculars to another man who agreed he saw it too.

"What does that matter? If it's a Raider we can shoot them down easily why have we stopped moving, we have a time frame." Burke's frustration was rising and he gripped the bridge of his nose again pulling his silenced pistol from his jacket pocket.

"Mr. Burke..I...don't think that's a Raider."

"My God. Give me the Binoculars." He forcefully took the binoculars and looked across the horizon stopping at the little dot they were talking about. He put the binoculars to his face but still couldn't get a good look at them.

He sighed before giving the binoculars back to the first man. "I can't make out what it is. Lets just go around them." He said finally changing course to head around whoever it was.

"What if it's the _Lone Wanderer_." One of the men said said emphasizing the nickname as if she was someone to be feared.

Burke froze.

The man continued. "I hear she's incredibly strong for a woman."

Another piped in. "I heard she would shoot down anyone who confronted her. Absolutely brutal woman. I wouldn't mind getting her into my bed." He said elbowing one of the other men laughing.

Burke growled at the man and they all stopped their chatter looking at him confused.

Burke's mind wasn't thinking straight. What if it was her? Why is she out here?

"Give me your binoculars." Burke said thrusting his hand out to the soldier who gave them up.

Burke walked forward a little bit and leaned into the binoculars. He couldn't see anything anymore as he quickly scanned the wastes. Where were they? He though for a moment before sighing and giving back the binoculars again. Even if it was her, she was too far away to catch up to and they _did_ have a time frame. Besides it would only hurt him worse to be able to hold her then have to push her away just like he did the first time. He couldn't bear with the thought of having to let her go.

"Let's go." He finally said not realizing he was walking away from his love who had ducked behind a rock at the sight of four men in the distance watching her.


	3. Sandstorm

She found herself at Megaton by the time the day ended but it was too late to talk with Moira so she just went home. She was exhausted and needed a good rest from lugging all the mines home. She got dressed into something clean after a cold shower and sat at the edge of her bed pulling her bag towards her.

She did this every night before she went to bed when she was home. She grabbed the notebook from her desk and flipped it to the page she last wrote on. Dumping the contents from her bag onto the ground she slipped off her bed to cross her legs around the items. She sorted thing into their respective categories. Weapons, gear, aid, miscellaneous, and finally ammo, then she would look over everything and decide whether to sell it or not. When she was done she had her piles of things and then another pile for what she was going to sell.

She flipped to a new page and wrote down how many items of one thing she had before going to the next pile. She would then flip back to the page she wrote on yesterday and compare her items circling new things and jotting notes on things she needed to replace at the bottom.

She set everything she was keeping back in her bag and left the pile of items she was going to sell the next day out on the floor. She then got up from the ground hopping into bed letting her mind wonder to what she did that day and eventually to Burke before crying herself to sleep.

Despite the crying herself to sleep every night she thought her nightly routine was perfect. She would sleep no more than 6 hours and wake up right before the sun rose. Her body was like a clock and she couldn't complain.

Her mornings were almost as pristine as her nights. Waking up she would rinse her mouth with hot water and use a rag to brush off anything that remained. She would change and grab the items she wanted to sell sticking them in another bag she kept hung on her wall. She ate her breakfast standing and then would head out to talk to the people of Megaton.

She would sell any alcohol to Gob and any chems to Doc church before heading her way to Moira's with anything else and before she knew it she was outside again with another thing to do for the Wasteland Survival guide. When she returned home she counted out 500 caps setting them in her bag and placing the rest into her locker and that was the end.

She looked at her Pipboy and it read 9:48 A.M. She decided it was too early to leave just yet so she walked to her room placing her hand on the handle of her locker. She thought about just not opening it and not reading the letters but she couldn't stop herself when she pulled the drawer open.

She read them over for the thousandth time knowing to skip the last one if she was to get through the day normally. Reading the third one say to send a letter to Tenpenny tower made her look through her Pipboy again. How was she suppose to send him a letter if she had no idea where it was?

She would've wrote him a letter if she knew what to say to him. He said such sweet things to her and wanted her for everything she was but she couldn't think of anything to say that she couldn't say to him in person. What was the point of sending a letter if what she wanted to say to him was more important in person?

Why _couldn't_ she say it in person? It was a clear guess that he was at this Tenpenny tower. She mulled over this in her head. Send him a letter?

"No. I'll do you one better." She said to herself getting up from her bed.

The thought of seeing him again made her heart stutter but it scared her more than anything in the Wastes. Even if it was to say goodbye, it was more proper than sending a stupid letter!

If she was going to do this she needed to find the place first and the best bet would be to speak to a merchant. She grabbed everything she needed for her journey. She told Moira she was taking a break from the survival guide just for a little while so she could deal with some personal issues she had.

Walking out of Megaton she tossed a water bottle to the beggar outside and turned left to talk to the Merchant who seemed all too excited to speak with her.

"You're the Lone Wanderer, aren't you?" He said smiling nearly jumping in excitement.

"That's what they call me I guess." She said smiling back. "I have a question."

"Sure anything for you!" He said in awe.

"Do you know where I can find Tenpenny Tower?"

He whistled. "That's a far journey."

"Really?" She pulled her Pipboy out and showed him her map. "Can you point it out for me?"

He poked around it a bit before circling an area in the bottom left of her map. "It's in this area. I don't know much just that it's near that robot place everyone keep away from."

She eyed her Pipboy. It was a very long way southwest but if she wanted to see Burke again she would have to do it. She placed her marker in the middle of the circle the merchant mentioned and with a quick look at his wares set off in the direction.

* * *

Tenpenny had called for Burke to meet him on his balcony in an hour. He had not been back for 10 minutes before the messenger walked up to him and he felt the blood rush from his face at the thought that Tenpenny found out they saved the children. He politely thanked the man and took the elevator up to his room. He took a quick shower and dressed adequately to speak to his boss.

The only times Tenpenny called him onto his balcony was to give him assignments and the thought of receiving another one so quickly made his stomach curl in a tight knot. He put on his sunglasses and made his way to Tenpenny's room nodding to the guard as he went inside.

Tenpenny was looking through the scope of his sniper rifle as he talked.

"Ah Mr. Burke, on time as always." The shot rang into the still night followed by a "Got it!" from Tenpenny.

He set the gun leaning on the side and turned to look at Burke. "Please, have a seat."

Burke sat down straightening out his suit.

"How did the assignment go? Hopefully without a hitch." He lit a cigar and leaned back into his chair.

"Everything went according to plan Mr. Tenpenny. The Republican of Dave has been wiped off the map." His expression never changed as he spoke. It wasn't a lie _technically_.

"Good." He took another puff of his cigar and looked out towards the wastes. "Tell me, have you heard of the infamous Lone Wanderer?"

Burke froze. Anytime Tenpenny mentioned a person and not a place, that person would mysteriously disappear or be found dead. Hearing him talk of his woman made his heart stop but he tried his best to keep his composure.

"I've heard rumors." He said through gritted teeth thankful for the glasses hiding the panic in his eyes.

"Quite spectacular rumors. Helping the wastes and all it's inhabitants as the man on the radio put it." Another blasted puff.

Burke was getting annoyed at the unsuggestive things Tenpenny was saying. Just get on with it!

"She's causing such a ruckus. I need you to _do_ something about that." He put out his cigar and pushed a bag of caps in Burke's direction. "I know this isn't your thing but you're my best man."

Burke didn't say anything as his whole body went numb. What Tenpenny was asking him to do was impossible. He wasn't a murderer and definitely not a murderer of people he loved and the thought of sending a bullet through her head made his mouth dry.

"I don't...think I can do...that, Mr. Tenpenny." His voice didn't sound his own as he spoke.

"Oh come on Burke. It's as simple as one bullet. You don't even need to clean up, I want you to leave her body wherever she falls. Let someone else deal with it."

Not only did he want Burke to kill the one person he cherished most but he wanted him to leave her dying body like a dog out in the middle of the wastes. Burke felt sick.

"That's not what I do. I'm not...comfortable with this."

"Burke you're no stranger to killing. I don't see what the problem is!" His voice was rising which wasn't a good sign.

"It's the context. Killing this woman won't better humanity anymore than letting her live will." Burke had never fought Tenpenny on anything he was asked of but he had to fight for this. He _had_ to.

Tenpenny wasn't talking and Burke was beginning to feel dread crawl up his spine. Finally the silence was broken.

"You're right, Mr. Burke. This isn't better to help humanity, it's to help my reputation. I can't have some bitch running about giving people hope. I'm sorry for thinking you were capable of understanding such a thing." He took back the bag of caps and put them in his coat pocket. "I'll have someone else do it." He stood up and walked to the door. "Now please leave, I have company coming over."

When Burke was safely hidden behind closed doors he packed everything he could fit in his suit case and left the tower in the direction of Megaton.

* * *

It was the second day in her journey and she was beginning to re-think her decision to see him. What if he was upset she came or what if he wasn't there? She felt panic swell in her as she stopped walking. Was she too hasty?

She looked at her Pipboy and found she was about 5 hours from her checkpoint not including looking around to find the place. She didn't know what it looked like but she assumed she would know it once she saw it if it looked anything like it was called.

The sun was beginning to set and she was feeling tired so she looked around for any place she could set up camp and rest before continuing on in the morning. She spotted a lonely train car not too far from where she stood and she quickly made her way over to it. She checked her surroundings before prying open the door.

It smelled of stale copper and a thick cloud of dust formed as the wind swirled inside for the first time. She opened the door wider and hopped her way inside surveying the ground for any traps someone might have placed. The car was completely empty just to her liking and she quickly slumped to the ground moaning as the pressure was relieved off her feet taking her bag off and setting it by her side.

She ate in silence as she listened to the wind howling outside. She hadn't closed the door yet because she wanted to let some of the smell linger out but she quickly realized a sand storm was coming in fast. She got up from her spot and quickly closed the door before returning to the far back of the car to finish her meal.

The car shook as the wind pelted it with sand and rocks and it kept her awake for most of the night. She checked her Pipboy and it read 3:37 AM. She groaned and put her hand to her ears trying to silence to raging storm outside. She tried to think of soothing things like her father's face and the warm smiles of the Megaton settlers but she was broken from her thoughts when she heard the door to the car slowly creek open and quickly shut.

Fear struck her at the realization that another person was groaning as they lay on the ground and she was trapped with them in the car.

* * *

He hadn't been walking for more than 5 hours when the wind started to pick up and sand flew in all directions around him. He wrapped an extra shirt he had around his face to protect the skin that was exposed and quickly searched for a place to take shelter. If he didn't find somewhere soon he would have to make his way back to Tenpenny tower or let himself die out here and the second option sounded a lot better than the first.

As if luck was on his side he saw a big black mass off in the distance through the sand that was becoming thicker each minute. He made his way up to the object and began to let his hands roam around it looking for a door. The metal was cold against his skin and when he finally found a door he pried it open as the wind pushed against it. He dragged himself inside and lay on the ground groaning from exhaustion thankful for finding somewhere to take shelter.

He sat up and stretched his back and arms then set his suitcase against the wall. He was about to take the shirt off his face when he felt the end of a gun press into his back and a voice that sent chills down his spine speak.

"Don't move." She had said. She lowered the octaves in her voice to mask her real one. The figure in front of her was male and you can never be too careful as a female in the wastes for fear of rape.

She grabbed his suitcase and threw it over to where her bag was and put all her attention on the man. He wasn't a raider, she could tell even in the dark because his clothes covered his entire body and he was carrying a suitcase around with him which was very strange.

They didn't speak another word as she kept the gun to his back and he kept his hands in the air. Even though her voice was lower he could tell it was a woman and from the feel of the barrel of her gun on his back he could tell it was a laser pistol. It was the only gun that was long vertically and short horizontally.

From what he could tell she was alone and from her gun he ruled out the possibility of it being a Raider seeing as they usually run in groups and have big powerful guns or cheap 10mm pistols. Her not being a Raider was a good thing and a bad thing. It was good because Raiders don't hesitate to kill you, it was bad however because this meant she was capable of rational thought and thinking capabilities so trying to outsmart her was a gamble he had to play.

He was about to say something when an extra powerful wind hit the side of the train car making the woman topple over giving him the chance to grab her weapon and aim it at her. He was now standing with the laser pistol, like he thought, in hand pointed towards her. She was on her stomach not looking at him and it was so dark he could only make out her silhouette.

"Don't move!" He yelled mimicking her and he could see her tense up. "I don't want to hurt you." He said a little calmer.

She knew the voice. She knew she did and the only person popping into her mind was Burke. It couldn't have been him though, what would he be doing out here? She was hesitant to speak for fear she was just being delusional and he shot her for talking. She had to be delusional, it was the only thing that made sense. She was thinking about him all day so it's not entirely impossible for her to associate this man with Burke especially because she couldn't see him through the dark.

"I'm going to grab my suitcase." He said making tiny steps around her.

It was him. It was definitely him and she knew it the more he spoke. Cautiously she spoke his name.

"B..Bur..ke.." She was quiet and she barely heard herself through the wind outside but she saw him stop.

He was frozen. It was quiet but he heard his name in her feeble voice.

"Burke...is that you?" She said a little louder not daring to move just in case it wasn't him. She saw him remove whatever was around his face as he let it fall to the ground. He moved closer to her and she flinched still unsure if it was actually him.

He was right above her now reaching out to her face which he touched just slightly. He felt her tense as he did so.

"Love...is...that you?" He said cautiously, hand still on her face. He felt a tear slide from her cheek and onto his hand.

She couldn't help the tears as the realization of him being here struck her hard in the heart. She lifted her own hand and placed it over his that was on her face and leaned into his touch.

"My God it's actually you." She said as her voice was shaky. "I've missed you so much Burke."

He dropped the gun and pulled her into an embrace as tears of his own fell and he could feel her body was shaking as she tugged him tighter to her.

"Oh how I've missed you as well my little song bird." He buried his face into her hair smelling her. She smelled exactly how she did back then and he couldn't help but smile contently knowing she was in his arms again.

He pulled away and felt her cheeks with his hands wiping away tears as they fell. She touched his face now placing her hand carefully on his cheek. She traced her fingers on his jaw and on his chin. When she found his lips with her thumb she lifted herself up and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

The kiss made them both dizzy and they clung to each other as it became passionate, fast. The longing they felt for each other fueled their passion as they felt each part of each others body. He traced her curves memorizing everything about her and her hands roamed his chest and arms before beginning to tug off his jacket.

He pulled away from her smiling at the small whimper she produced at the loss of body contact. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and touched his forehead to hers.

"There is nothing more I want then to take you in this moment." He started. "But I wish to see you when it happens. I'm sorry." He placed a kiss on her forehead and stood up helping her up to.

She wrapped her arms around his body and he did the same to hers.

"I understand. I wish to see you too." She said.

They didn't make any move to break away from each other as if the break of contact would make one of them suddenly disappear.

She was the first to move as she pulled away from him grabbing his hand and leading him to the back of the car. They nestled together, relishing in the new warmth as they both fell into the best sleep either of them have had in a long time.


	4. In the sanctuary of a train car

Warning: They do the nasty. Thank you for anyone who reads this. I don't know how long I'm going with this one but hopefully I can wrap everything up nicely!

* * *

He was the first to wake up. His arm had gone numb under the weight of her but he didn't mind. It just reminded him that she was really there with him and he didn't have to look for his other half anymore.

The sun shown through little holes in the train car lighting the place in a soft orange glow mixing with the rusty color and a thin layer of sand had formed on the ground around them. Everything was silent and he sat up making sure not to wake up his beloved.

She was the same as the last time he saw her give or take a few scars and newly formed dirt on her skin. She had switched her Vault 101 jumpsuit for thick leather armor to protect her from the wastes. Her hair was just a little bit longer, swept up into a ponytail that was disheveled from her sleeping. She looked like a Goddess to him, his perfect love bird that was his to fly away with.

He stood up and took off his suit jacket letting it fall into his palm. He walked over to the door of the train car and opened it slowly leaving her to sleep in piece. He flipped his jacket upside down and pulled the pockets inside out and watched the sand fall to the ground. He shook off his jacket and rested it on his arm and looked out into the wastes towards the direction of Tenpenny Tower.

He wondered how Tenpenny was taking the news of his disappearance. For the longest time he thought he had no future but as he looked back to the train car he smiled. Now, although it may be one filled with running and hiding from the same people that wanted to kill her, it was a future he looked forward to if she was there with him.

He heard her faint voice calling for him and it quickly turned to panic. He ran to the door and swung it open. Her eyes were filled with tears and she quickly got up tackling him in another longing hug.

"I thought you left me again." She said between sobs and his heart tugged in his chest.

"No, no never again. I'm here to stay this time." He rubbed her back soothingly. "We must go inside and talk though. There is much I have to say." He reluctantly pulled her from him and wiped away the tears before kissing her and helping her back in the train car.

He sat against the wall legs sticking out in front of him and she sat next to him legs pulled to her chest. They looked at each for awhile and she placed her hand on his face. He had little cuts all around from the sand that hit his face and he looked more tired and withered than the last time she saw him. But he was still her Burke. She could see him think before finally settling on what he would say first.

"The predicament I put ourselves in...isn't ideal." He shook his head as if that wasn't what he wanted to say. "I mean to say that I fear we're in trouble and it's all my fault." He looked at her with pain in his eyes and it broke her heart. "You..you're not...safe with..me." He said looking through her as if he realized something and fear truck her.

She climbed on top of him with her legs on each side of his and grabbed his face to look at hers. He was shocked to say the least but he put his hands on her hips.

"Burke..it is _you_ that is not safe with me." She said. "I have people coming after me all the time. There is nothing I can do about that and the only thing I know is there is no way I am _ever_ going to let you leave me again." She could feel the pain in her eyes but pushed it away because she needed to be strong for him. "You're letters were the only thing keeping me going and when I got the last one I...I.." Tears were now falling. "It broke me."

He captured her lips in his and she pushed against his body. His hands were on her back pulling her towards him as their kiss grew passionate. She roamed her hands on his chest and purred feeling the jacket not there to stop them again. He chuckled and began to help her out of her armor.

She pulled the armor off and grabbed at her shirt to pull that off as well. With her arms still tangled in her shirt he placed his hand on her lower bag and leaned in giving small kisses to her chest. He took a moment to take her in as she worked her hands under his own shirt pulling it off of him in one swift motion.

Her mouth was on his and he worked his hands up her back to the clips of her bra unclasping them and letting it fall to her side. She gasped as the cold morning air touched her breast and moaned as his mouth found it's way to her nipple. The warmth he generated as he flicked her nipple with his tongue sent chills down her spine into her lower region she could feel getting moist. As he moved his mouth to the other nipple he traced her curves and could feel her trying to unbuckle his belt.

He pulled back and undid the belt himself with a slight smirk that made her face flush even more red than it was. She got up as he shimmied out of his pants leaving him just in his boxers and she let her own pants drop to the ground. They were both standing now staring at each other breathing heavy and letting the sound envelop them.

He walked towards her and pulled her into his body relishing the feeling of her to him as he kissed her passionately. He pushed her back until they were on the ground with him on top of her as they continued to grope and kiss each other. It was slow and passionate and everything they dreamed it would be.

He grabbed the hem of her panties and pulled them off of her before discarding his own undergarments. She wrapped her legs around him and he let his member touch her entrance before staring at her. Her face was absolutely beautiful the way her eyes were half closed and lips parted panting. He pushed inside of her and they both moaned into each others ears. He placed soft kissing on her shoulder as he pulled out and pushed back in setting a rhythm.

Nothing could touch them in this moment. Everything either of them worried or cried about before this time evaporated in the air along with the moans and pants produced by their love making.

"Burke..I love you." She said between pants and he smiled on her skin.

"And I love you more than you could know." It was her turn to smile.

He could feel her walls tightening around him with each buck of his hips and her breathing became more labored. He reached his hand down and pushed his thumb against her sensitive little nub and she grasped onto his shoulders with a silent scream and saw stars as she orgasmed around him. His release came shortly after and he fell on her propping himself up with an elbow as not to crush her.

They lay like that for awhile not moving as she rubbed circles on his back humming a soft tune as he planted more lazy kisses on her arms.

"Why don't we just live in this train car." She said jokingly.

He chuckled and got up from her grabbing his clothes and began to dress. She did the same but left her armor off and went to her bag to grab something for the both of them to eat. They ate in silence for awhile and he sighed when he was done dreading the conversation they were about to have right after making love.

"Tenpenny asked me to kill you." He closed his eyes and let out another sigh. "So I left. But because I left he will hire people to come find me, people that are very good at their job." He didn't dare look at her. "He'll also hire people to find you since I wouldn't."

"Well." She started, "Then I guess we better keep moving."

"That won't work. He is relentless, I would know." He was looking at her now. "I don't want to live in hiding, the love I have for you means too much to me to hide it."

"If the only choice we have is to hide then I would gladly do it if it meant I would be with you always." She said holding her hand out to him.

He grabbed it and they sat like that for awhile. "Hiding is no way to live." He said finally, tugging on her hand to pull her into another hug. "I have to go back."

She pushed off to look at him. "No. There is no way I'd let you do that."

"It's the only way." he said touching her cheek.

"What if they kill you." She said in a hushed voice.

"Then I would have died fighting for the thing I love most."

"You told me you'd never leave me again." She said squeezing the hand on her cheek with her own.

"If I can help it, my love." He kissed her forehead and stood up grabbing his jacket.

He moved to grab his suitcase and she grabbed it putting it behind her looking at him with a determination he couldn't help but love about her.

"Let me go." She said.

"We can't walk in there togeth.." He started

"No. I mean alone." Her facial expression never changed.

"What?" His face went cold.

"If he's looking for me he'd never expect me to already be there. I can blend in well, I know I can do it." Her face was pleading.

"No. I couldn't bare the thought of something bad happening to you." He reached for his suitcase and she took a step back grabbing her own bag in the process throwing it over her shoulder. He gave her a warning look. "Don't be childish."

"Don't be the hero." She said unwavering under his gaze. "The hero always dies."

"I'm not _being_ the hero, love!" He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

He felt her slender fingers touch his jaw and forced his face to hers stealing a kiss.

"I'm going. He won't even know what hit him when the bullet pushes through his skull. I won't let him take you away from me again." She patted his cheek handing him the suitcase and leaving him to stand in the train car alone.

She began to job towards the tower and heard him call out her name from the train car. She stopped and turned around to look at him. He lifted his hands to his mouth and yelled.

"Be careful. I love you." And lifted one hand in the air.

She did the same and kept her pace until she found herself at the bottom of an elevator dressed in a frilly pink dress, cleaned and simple make up on her face.


	5. Pull the trigger

Burke knew just how quickly something could disappear. As the day slowly turned into night he couldn't help the pain in his chest that started off as a low burn but now roared with every ounce of his being. He thought he was having a heart attack and had pumped chems into his veins but when the pain didn't stop he just sat there dazed and high from the med-ex.

He laid there, eyes hardly blinking and just as quickly as they closed the sun shown through the little holes taking over the night that nearly killed him.

She still wasn't back.

Fully alert now he propped himself up grabbing his suit case sprinting out the door towards the tower knowing something was wrong.

When the tower came into view he stopped in his tracks, his heart pumped wildly and his chest heaved as he bent over and threw up stomach acid until the shaking in his body stopped. He composed himself and pulled his jacket out of his suit case pushing his arms through the sleeves and buttoning it up. If he was going to walk in there he might as well look like he'd done nothing wrong. He put on his glasses and began to walk towards the gate.

Although he walked normally his heart never slowed down as a sour taste settled on his tongue. He opened the gate with his usual key and stepped inside looking at the guard to the left. The guard looked up from his dirty magazine and once he saw Burke his eyes widened and he stood up pulling his hand to his forehead in a salute.

"M..m..Mr, Burke sir, I'm sorry..I didn't know you were out.." He said frantically.

"It's fine. Resume your position." Burke said continuing to walk sighing in relief that Tenpenny hadn't order them to shoot him on sight. Maybe even Tenpenny didn't know..no..he most surely knew. He swallowed the lump in his throat and made his way inside the building eyeing every guard for fear they pull a gun on him.

His eyes fell on a thin woman walking up the steps to the residents rooms and he squinted his eyes to get a better look. He followed the woman up the stairs and as they walked down the hallway, when she neared the corner she sped up as she turned. He ran for her and was pulled into a dark room and thrust onto the floor.

"Why are you following me?" She said harshly and he could see the light of her laser pistol barrel inches from his face.

"Maybe I thought you wouldn't shove me to the ground." He said jokingly and he heard her gasp pulling the gun away. She ran to the wall and flicked the light on and looked back to him.

"Oh Burke, I'm so sorry." She ran to him and helped him off the ground. "I didn't know it was you, I got scared when someone started following me."

He grabbed her in his arms and hugged her tightly. "I thought you were gone." He said smothering his face in her hair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave a sigh. "I'm sorry it's taking me longer than I thought. They won't let me up to see him."

He pulled away and gave her a serious look. "I can get you up there but I can tell you now, he's expecting me."

She smiled. "Well I have a plan."

* * *

The elevator ride up was heart pounding for both of them. They held tightly onto each others hands until the door opened when they had to go back to pretending they didn't know each other. He leaned over to her and whispered there is a guard directly to the left and he needs to be taken care of.

He walked out first and turned his attention towards the guard, opposite side of hers.

"Is Tenpenny in?" He spoke.

"Probably. The guy never leaaaa..." He slumped off his chair and Burke could see the knife protruding out of his back. She stood up and wiped dust off her dress. Burke looked at her as if he was never going to see her again and it broke her heart.

He walked over to her and tugged at her arm leading her away from Tenpenny's room and toward his own. He pushed her inside and shut the door behind them and let their foreheads touch as he rubbed his hands on her arms.

He opened his mouth to say something but she put her finger to his lips and replaced hit with her lips.

"Show me." She whispered.

He pulled her into a passionate kiss and let her legs wrap around his waist as he hosted her up. He sent hot wet kisses down her neck and let his hand that wasn't supporting her roam up her thigh and squeeze her bottom.

"Burke...Please.." She whispered and he bunched the rest of her dress up to her stomach. He unzipped him pants and pulled himself out not bothering to undress. He pushed her panties off to the side and plunged himself in her silencing her moan in a rough kiss.

The though of this being the last time they spent together drove them crazy as he thrust into her, loving her with everything he was. The pleasure blinded her as she flung her arm up to find something to grab onto and settled on grasping the bar that ran up from his wall. Being quiet was near impossible as he fucked her for what could have been the last time and they both came shuddering and gasping for breath.

He grabbed onto her bottom and pulled out of her receiving another light moan that made him smirk as he set her to her feet. She fixed her dress and fixed his jacket as he zipped his pants back up. A pleasant pink remained on her cheeks and in her swollen lips and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on each.

"I love you." He said.

"Don't say that." She looked at him with a pain in her face. "Don't say it like it's the final time."

He ran his knuckles on her cheek. "Better be safe than sorry."

He opened the door for her and as she left she grabbed the belt she was keeping in her bag and gave it to him. He tied her arms behind her back loosely and lifted up the back of her dress to put the laser pistol securely against the hem of her panties leaving her bag of supplies outside the door and they walked inside.

* * *

Tenpenny was an ugly old man she thought as she was knelt in front of him by Burke. She wasn't listening to the conversation more listening to the heart beat in her ears trying to calm herself down. There was a sniper rifle leaning on its side by his feet and a 10mm pistol on his table next to an ashtray with a lit cigar.

She felt a hand sink down her shirt and grope her breast and she bucked against the unwanted touch.

"Oooh, she's feisty." Tenpenny said putting the hand on his face. "But soft."

Fucking pervert.

He knelt down and smelled her hair. "Mr. Burke did you bathe her? She smells like you."

She tensed up but when he spoke she felt herself calm.

"No she washed herself in the confinements of my room Mr. Tenpenny." He said without a hint of anything in his voice.

"Good, good. I like myself a clean woman." He laughed sadistically.

She trembled and slowly began working her hands out of the loose straps of the belt.

"You know." Tenpenny started. "I saw a train car out in the wastes a couple of days ago. I'd never notice it before." He looked off into the wastes.

Her heart stopped and she assumed Burke's did as well.

"Such a lovely place for a reunion wouldn't you say, Mr. Burke." Tenpenny turned to Burke and glared.

Burke opened his mouth to say something but knew what was about to happen. He bent down and grabbed the girl flipping her around as a shot rang through the air.

She pushed the belts off her wrists and went to grab her gun when the weight of Burke fell on top of her pinning her arms behind her back. Panic flooded her.

"BURKE?! BURKE, GET UP!" She screamed but he made no move to get up off her.

"Oh you poor thing." Tenpenny walked over them until he was standing in front of her. He knelt down and grabbed her chin lifting her up to face him and smiled as tears fell down her face. Her body was cold and she could feel something wet seeping down onto the back of her dress where Burke lay on top of her.

"He was my best man you know." Tenpenny started. "If I would have known he would run off with some skank I would have put a bullet through his head sooner."

He dropped her chin and her head fell hard onto the cement balcony making her teeth clatter and her chin bleed. The angle he had her up previously gave her the tiny bit of room she needed to wrap her fingers around the pistol and pull it up out of her underwear but the weight of Burke's body still kept her hands pinned.

"I could've used you ya know. You have the strength and stamina of 5 of my men but you're soul wasn't dark enough. Not like Burke's."

"Shut up you old bastard." She spit out.

"What you didn't know? Burke's soul was as dark as the mans you see before you." He gave her a wicked smile before standing and pointing the 10mm at her head.

"You couldn't be half the man Burke was." She said shutting her eyes. "I love you too." She whispered.

Tenpenny pulled the trigger.


End file.
